Latvia

Description of Latvia

Latvia is located in north-eastern Europe on the Baltic Sea. It occupies an area of 64,589 square kilometers, including land area - 62,046 square kilometers, and inland waters - 2543 square kilometers. The country stretches from north to south - 210 km, and from west to east - 450 km. The largest part of the territory of Latvia is covered by forests and farmland.

Latvia is located in the area of mixed forest zone of temperate climate, and the diversity of its nature is conditional on both geographical location and proximity to the Baltic Sea. The territory is known for the oceanic and continental vegetation types; there are many rare species of plants, most of which are protected. The main vegetation type in Latvia is forest; there are also swamps and biologically valuable grasslands. In Latvia, one can still find a large population of big predators – about 400 wolves (more than in whole north-western Europe) and about the same number of lynxes.

The most famous wild animals in Latvia are hares, roes, elks, wild boars, deer and foxes. Latvia has Europe's largest population of beavers. The bird fauna of Latvia is also rich: the Baltic Sea and its coast is a blessed place for nesting, rest and foraging, so for many birds from the far northern region of Eurasia Latvia is the traditional place of migration, after which they go to their wintering areas in Western Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In Latvia, there are 223 species of nesting birds, including very rare species such as the white-tailed eagle, black stork, and others.

There are many places in Latvia with towers for bird watching, and ornithological stations. Among all fish species in Latvia, the most common is freshwater fish, which can be found not only in lakes and rivers, but also in the waters of the Gulf of Riga. Latvia is one of the countries of the Baltic Sea, where still a large population of Atlantic salmon species is found.

Latvia borders on land with four countries - the Republic of Estonia, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Lithuania. The total length of the border is1862 km, including the length of the land border with Estonia in the north - 343 km, with Russia in the east - 282 km, with Belarus in the south-east - 67 km, and with Lithuania in the south - 576 km; the coastline length is 494 km.

The largest river of Latvia is the Daugava River, the length of which in the territory of Latvia is of 352 km (the total length - 1005 km), and its basin occupies 24.7 thousand square kilometers. The longest river of the country is the Gauja River - 452 km. The largest lake in Latvia is Lubans (80.7 hectares); the most profound is Dridzis (65.1 m). Ponds cover an area of ​​1149 square kilometers or 1.7% of the territory of Latvia. Most lakes are situated in the area of the Latgolys Upland, which has more than 40% of Latvia’s lakes.